A Light Experiment
by Fenrisia
Summary: Lightning just got out of the military and is jobless. Snow recommends a job at his place of work. The interview with a certain white-haired Director doesn't exactly go according to plan. Older!Hope/Lightning FanFic. Rated M.
1. Chapter 1

**Well, this is my first fanfiction! I love olderhope/lightning pairings! They just go so well together and I really wish that they did something at the end of LR to confirm their unofficial canon romance.**

 **This is rated M for language, and a lemon in the future.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy or any of its characters. Sadly.**

 **Please leave reviews and let me know how I did and any comments are welcome!**

 **Enjoy!**

 **Chapter 1:**

* * *

"Ugh, this is beginning to be such a waste of time." Lightning said as she threw herself onto her couch. "At this rate, I'll never find a job." She placed her face in her hands and sighed deeply.

At that moment her phone began to vibrate. She picked it up and saw that it was her sister Serah calling. "Ah great." She said before hitting the pickup button.

"Hello?"

"Hey Lightning! How did your interview go?" Serah said in her upbeat tone.

"Not so good. They said I had a problem with being "socially acceptable", whatever that means."

"What did you do?"

"I may have gotten into a yelling contest with another interviewee." Lightning sighed again.

"Oh, Lightning. I'm coming over to make you your favorite dinner and you can tell me all about it. Be there in 30 minutes."

Before Lightning could open her mouth, her sister had ended the call. "Tch. Why does she always need to make a big deal about things. It's not like it was the first interview I've blown." She then stood up and headed towards her bedroom to change into more comfortable clothes. _I really hate having to dress up for these stupid interviews._

Lightning had recently left the military in order to move back to Academia in order to be closer to her sister, Serah. Serah had recently gotten engaged to a big oaf of a man. Snow. God, did she hate that man. It wasn't like he was a bad guy, Lightning just didn't think he was good enough for Serah.

Serah worked as a third grade teacher at the nearby school, The Junior Academy. A very prestigious school linked to the famous Academy. She was always good with children, and was way more "socially acceptable" than her older sister.

Lightning Farron had matured early in life. After their parents died in a car crash, she became the parental figure in Serah's life at the age of 15. She became protective of her younger sister, and began to push herself to give Serah anything she needed. She got a job and worked constantly in order to support her sister while still attending school herself. When she graduated high school, she enlisted in the military. She immersed herself in the discipline and structure of military life, and climbed the ranks fast while being able to support her sister back home.

When Serah announced that she was engaged, Lightning decided not to re-enlist and moved back to Academia to be near her.

And this is how she ended up in her current predicament. She had to find a job soon. Her GI bill would only last her so long. The trouble was, she was a terrible interviewee. She had little tolerance for people, especially stupid people, or anyone, really. She tended to answer questions with short, abrupt responses, and would remain guarded and standoffish. Not a good way to impress someone, let alone make an impression for a job.

At this point, she didn't care what job she got. She just needed one, if it meant sucking up her pride and end up flipping burgers.

When Lightning entered her bedroom, she went to her dresser and pulled out a black t-shirt and some jean shorts. She just about tore off her white, poofy blouse and black slacks. She hated wearing stuff like that. It made her feel uncomfortable, and found the clothes to be quite suffocating. She was used to fatigues and uniforms. Not frilly clothes that served no purpose.

As she put her t-shirt and shorts on, she heard the doorbell ring. _She sure got here fast._

"Coming." She yelled.

She walked to her front door and opened it revealing a smiling Serah, followed by _him._ "Hey Serah. You didn't tell me that that thing was coming too."

"Ouch, sis. Right in the heart." The burly man said, clutching his hands to his chest in a dramatic way.

"I am not your sister." Lightning practically spat out at him. _If my day wasn't bad enough, I now have to spend my evening with this brute. It's going to be a long evening._

"Ah, be nice Lightning. He's just trying to make your day better too. So, I'm going to start dinner. You two get along, okay?" Serah said while heading to the kitchen.

"I'm always nice, babe!" Snow responded.

"Hmmm." Lightning just walked towards her couch and slumped back into it, while reaching for the TV remote. She flicked the power button on and turned on the news station.

"So, sis. Serah told me you're having trouble in the employment department, huh."

"Hmmm." Lightning was not in the mood for his probing.

"You know, it wouldn't kill ya if you smiled and _pretended_ to be something other than an ice queen." He joked. Snow plopped down on the nearby recliner and placed his hands behind his head.

"It just might..." She mumbled.

"OH! You know what, I think someone mentioned a job opening where I work. You should look into that. I heard it was a security guard position or something like that." He exclaimed, leaning forwards with his hands on knees. His was grinning like an idiot. A big, annoying idiot.

"And what makes you think that I want to work as a security guard? Let alone, why the hell would I want to work at the same place as you?"

"Ah, c'mon sis! Don't be like that. It was just a suggestion. I know Serah's been worried about you not being able to find a job. I thought that this would be something right up your alley. You'd get to wear a uniform again, and be all "Miss Serious Soldier" again." He smirked.

"I don't need your charity job. I'll be perfectly fine without your help." She turned and gave him a piercing glare. Snow shrugged it off and leaned back again in the recliner, with his hands once again behind his head. At that moment, Serah walked out of the kitchen.

"You know, that's not a bad idea. ETRO is a great company to work for. Everyone knows of ETRO. You should at least try it. What's the worst that can happen?" She grinned at her older sister.

"Hmm.." Lightning grumbled back.

"Don't 'hmmm' me! I can tell you've been feeling down about not getting these jobs. Whether you admit it or not. I know you need a job, and I'm pretty sure you don't want to move in with Snow and I." Serah ended with a sarcastic giggle.

"C'mon, sis. The I'll set it all up for ya. All you have to do is show up, and blow 'em out of the water!" Snow had that idiotic grin on his face again.

Lightning just sighed and hung her head. She turned the TV off, and looked at them out of the corner of her eye.

"Do it for me... _Claire.._ " Serah furrowed her brow, and her eyes were pleading.

"Ugh...really Serah? Using my name to guilt trip me?" Lightning leaned back on the couch with her arms crossed. She closed her eyes with an annoyed look on her face. The side of her mouth twitching a bit.

"If I say yes, will you two drop the subject for the rest of the night?" She replied dryly.

"Of course! Oooooh, this will be a great opportunity for you! Snow, get it all set up! I'm so happy, Lightning. I just know you'll succeed this time!" Serah clapped her hands together with a grin that was almost as goofy as her fiances.

"Tch. Yeah yeah." Lightning turned her head to the side, refusing to look at them.

A buzzer sounded in the kitchen.

"Oh! That would be dinner. Snow, come help me set the table!" Serah bounced off into the kitchen with Snow following closely on her heels.

"Babe! It smells great! I'm the luckiest guy to have such an amazing cook for my future wife." Lightning glanced over through the entry to the kitchen. Snow was standing way to close to her sister, his hands on her hips.

"Snow! Not in my house!" She got up quick and started stomping towards the kitchen. Snow backed away like he had just touched a fire.

"Sorry, sis. Won't happen again." He smirked.

"For the last time, I am not your sister." Lightning stalked off to the other side of the kitchen reaching for the plates. "You going to help set the table or just stand there grinning your ass off?"

"Uhh..right. I'm on it sis!" Lightning quickly grabbed the plates and bolted towards the dining room table, her face contorted in annoyance. She was seriously debating punching the oaf in the face. She took a deep breath, and began setting the plates on the table.

* * *

After dinner, Serah helped Lightning clean up the dishes and when everything was cleaned up. Serah hugged her sister with a small smile.

"You know, Lightning, I just want you to be happy. You've done so much for me our whole lives. It's time you got something in return." Serah pulled away from the hug and looked down at the ground. "And I can't help but feel that it's my fault you're in this situation because of me."

Snow wrapped his arm around Serah's shoulder and pulled her closer to him. "Don't worry so much, babe. Lightning's a fighter. She'll be fine. Right, sis?"

Lightning could feel her brow twitching again. She cocked her head to the side and looked at the two. _Serah really looks happy with him._ Her lip curled up a bit on the side of her mouth.

"It's fine Serah. Don't worry about me. Now drive home safely, and I guess send me the information about the job when you can, Snow." She opened the door and waved goodbye as the walked out.

When Lightning closed the door, she leaned her back up against it and shook her head. _This job better be worth my time._ And with that, she locked the door and turned off the lights. She stalked off towards the bathroom in order to take a shower. Afterwards, she felt refreshed. She changed into a long nightshirt, pulled the covers to her bed and crawled in.

Once settled in, she stared at the ceiling and once again took a deep breath, thought about what her sister said about it being her fault that Lightning was in this mess. _Stupid Serah. I'd never blame you for anything. You're all I have left. I'd do anything for you._ She turned over and closed her eyes and fell asleep.

* * *

BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!

Lightning rolled over and slamed her hand on the alarm clock. She glanced at it. 7:30 am. Ever since she joined the military, she had a habit of waking up early. Which was fine, she was more of a morning person anyways.

She got up and went to the bathroom. She brushed her teeth and washed her face. Afterwards, she walked to the kitchen and started the coffee pot. As the warm smell of fresh coffee brewing drifted through the air, she returned to her bedroom to change out of her pajamas and into a pair of sweat pants and a tank top. She tied her hair up in a side ponytail to her left and proceeded towards the coffee pot. She poured herself a cup and drank it.

When she was done, she placed the cup in the dishwasher then went to put her running shoes on. She opened the front door, walked out, while making sure to lock the door behind her. She then set out on her normal morning jog.

* * *

Getting out of the shower after her run, she heard her cell phone beep. As she came out of the bathroom, she was drying her hair with a towel, and threw it into the hamper.

She picked up her phone, swiped the screen and noticed it was a text from Snow.

 _"Talked to HR. You have an interview at 3:00pm today. Check in at the front desk and tell them you're there for the job interview. Good luck sis!"_

She hit the button to close the screen. Glancing at the time, _11:43am. Guess I have a few hours to prepare._ Lightning texted a brief thank your to Snow and placed the phone down on her dresser.

Walking out towards the living room, she grabbed the TV remote and turned it on. She didn't care what was on, she just liked the background noise. She headed towards the kitchen to start making herself lunch.

5 minutes later, she sat on the couch with a sandwich and another cup of coffee and just flipped through the TV channels until she landed on a movie that she hadn't seen. She placed the remote down and began to munch on her sandwich.

When she glanced at the clock, it read 1:30pm. She got up, placed her dishes in the dishwasher and went to get ready for her interview.

She left her house and walked towards her velocycle. She put her helmet on and turned the key, revved the bike and took off towards the ETRO building.

Upon arriving, she threw her keys at the valet, and began walking towards the building. She stopped before entering and glanced upwards. _That is one big building. I wonder how many floors it has. 30? 50?_ She took a deep breath and looked forward with a face of determination on her face. _Let's get this over with._

Pushing through the revolving doors, she noticed a bunch of people running around all wearing similar uniforms. A white and yellow jacket with a teal tie. _How tacky._ She thought.

If she was impressed with the way the outside of the building looked, inside was even more impressive. The floors were all marble, and the walls were a smooth granite. It was beautiful.

Lightning looked ahead towards the front desk and just above it hung the ETRO logo, with _Estheim Technology and Research Organization_ above it in gold plated letters.

Noticing she was just standing in the middle of the lobby gawking, she quickly shook her head and began walking to the front desk. A woman with blonde hair up in a bun smiled at her from behind the desk and waved her forward.

"Welcome to Estheim Technology and Research. How may I help you?" She beamed.

"Umm..Hi. My name is Lightning Farron, I'm here for a job interview at 3 o'clock." Lightning watched as the young woman looked at her computer and began typing something on her keyboard.

"Ah yes, Ms. Farron I see it. Just sign in here on this sheet. Here's a visitors badge, and just go down the hallway to the left, and take the elevater up to the 50th floor. Once you get off, there will be another desk in front, just tell them what you told me and that's it." The woman handed Lightning a badge that said Visitor on it, and smiled. "Good luck Ms. Farron."

Lightning took the badge and clipped it to her blouse and began walking towards the elevator. Pressing the up button, she climbed inside the elevator crammed with a bunch of other people. She pressed the button that had 50 on it and noticed it was the top floor. _Hmmm. Didn't think security would be on the top floor. Maybe it's where human resources is._

When the elevator beeped at the final floor, Lightning walked out and headed for the desk in front of her. This time it was a dark haired woman who smiled at her. Lightning walked up and repeated what she told the other woman downstairs.

"Alright Ms. Farron, just take a seat over there and we'll call you in a minute."

Lightning nodded and walked to one of the black leather seats, and sat down. Almost immdiately, another woman opened a door and called her name."Ms. Farron?" Lightning stood up. "We're ready for you. Please come right this way."

Following the woman, she glanced around the hallway they were currently walking through. There was a marble wall on one side, and a cascading waterfall on the other side. At the end of the hallway a double door.

When they reached said door, the woman knocked.

"Yes?" A muffled male voice answered from the other side.

"Your 3 o'clock appointment is here." The woman replied.

"Send her in." The man behind the door said.

The woman turned towards Lightning and nodded.

"Good luck Ms. Farron." She smiled and walked away.

Lightning took a deep breath in, and opened the door.

Inside was a huge office with windows covering the whole wall. Various plants were decorated around the room. A large desk made of dark cherry wood was in the center with a leather swivel chair behind it. That's when Lightning noticed the man sitting in said chair stand up.

"Ah, you must be Ms. Farron. It's a pleasure to meet you." The man walked towards her. When he was near her, he outstretched his hand. "I'm Director Estheim. Hope Estheim." Lightning stared at his hand for a second, before gathering herself and reached out to shake it.

"Nice to meet you, uh...Director?" She stuttered.

"Please, call me Hope." He waved his hand and gestured towards a couch and a couple chairs off to the left of his desk. "Have a seat Ms. Farron."

As he turned to walk towards his desk, she couldn't help but stare at the man. He was dressed in a similar uniform as the other employees, but his seemed to be more professional, better suited for him. He had very light blonde hair, almost white and she had noticed he was about a good head taller than her. _He looks so young._

When he turned around with some papers in his hand, he caught her staring. "Something the matter, Ms. Farron?"

Lightning realized she had her jaw open, and she shook her head to snap out of her daze. "Uhh..no Direc..I mean Hope." _Get it together Lightning!_

She walked quickly towards the couch and sat down and crossed her legs. Hope took the chair across from her and looked over the papers he carried.

"Alright, let's begin. I see here you were in the military. Guardian Corps to be precise."

"Yes." She nodded.

"Looks like you joined up after graduating high school. Reached Sergeant. Very nice." He seemed so wrapped up in reading her resume, that he didn't even look up at her. "Alright, so Ms. Farron, tell me a little bit about yourself." He finally looked up and looked at her.

"I..uh..Well, as you saw, I was enlisted in the Guardian Corps until about 4 months ago. I moved back to Academia in order to be near my sister. Other than that, there's really nothing to say about me." She looked back at him. Lightning almost lost her breath. He had the most beautiful eyes she ever saw. A bright bluish-green that seemed to look directly into her soul. He was looking at her through his bangs that hung a bit over his eyes. They were piercing, yet they seemed to show an almost innocent gleam to them.

"Well...Claire...There..mu..."

"Lightning." She blurted out.

"Excuse me?" He looked at her with a confused face. His brow furrowed a bit as he seemed to ponder her outburst.

"Lightning. That's the name I go by. I'm not fond of my first name." Lightning mentally kicked herself for being so abrupt.

"I see. Okay, Lightning. Moving on. Can you describe your skills that would be beneficial to this job?" He pulled a pen out of his shirt pocket and clicked the top and looked up at her, waiting for her response. _Heh, he's a nerd, pocket protector and all._

"I am proficient in combat. I am highly organized and always aware of my surroundings. I am skilled using multiple weapons but am well trained at using a gunblade. I also was top of my squad for hand to hand combat and have successfully completed every mission that was assigned to me. I have never lost a fellow soldier in my squad." While talking she had uncrossed her legs and sat completely straight with her head held high. She noticed that the man sitting in front of her had a somewhat confused look.

"Ms. Farron, I know that you were in the military, so those skills I assumed you already had. What I am asking for is what skills can you bring to this company while working as my assistant?"

"Your what?!" Lightning's eyes practically popped out of her eye sockets.

"My assistant. The job I'm hiring for is for my personal assistant." He cocked an eyebrow and waited for her response.

"I'm sorry Director Estheim..."

"Hope." He said.

"Yes, um..Hope. I'm sorry, but I think there was a mistake. I was supposed to be interviewing for a security guard position. Something must have gotten messed up." Lightning felt like a fool. _Great, now I must look like an idiot. And in front of the Director of the whole company no less._

Hope looked down at the papers again. He narrowed his eyes as he reread the the paperwork. "Ms. Farron, there doesn't seem to be a mistake. Your resume was submitted for my assistant position. And, there is no position for security personel at this moment."

Hope looked at the woman in front of him. The way she was sitting, he could tell she was uncomfortable. Her back was rigid and she was gripping her knees hard enough that her knuckles were turning white. He glanced at her face, and noticed her pursed lips. She seemed irritated. He brought his gaze higher up and looked into her steel blue eyes. They felt cold and calculating, but hinted at another hidden emotion he couldn't quite place. Annoyance? Anger? Her hair was a startling soft pink color and was pulled over to her left side and fell softly between her... _No Hope. Don't go there. You're a professional._

"Well, Hope. I seemed to have wasted your time. I hardly think I'm qualified to be your personal assistant. I'm more of the...hands on kind of person." Lightning went to stand up but was stopped by a raised hand.

"Wait!" Hope didn't mean for the abrupt tone. He covered his mouth with his hand and cleared his throat. "Please, sit back down."

Lightning looked at him and lifted her eyebrow. She sat back down and tilted her head still looking at him. She crossed her arms in front of her chest and waited.

Hope looked at the woman in front of him. He couldn't quite understand it but there was something about her that intrigued him. His logical brain trying to decipher this feeling, but it was beyond logical thinking.

He half smiled at her. "Well, Ms. Lightning. I think you may be what I am looking for. I've gone through four assistants in the past year alone. They always end up not working out. Something about being worked to hard or some other nonsense. I'm thinking someone with your discipline, and what seems to be a strong work ethic, would be perfect for this job. I'm assuming you know how to use a computer and a phone?" _Someone not qualified for the job. This could be an interesting experiment. If she accepts..._

Lightning couldn't believe what she was hearing. Hope Estheim must be a mad man if he thought she could sit behind a desk, idly twidling her thumbs waiting for him to require her assistance. She shook her head with a frown.

"You must be insane. I am not even close to being qualified for this position, nor would I be any good at it. I'm a soldier. Not a secretary." She pursed her lips while staring him down.

He smiled again. _He must really be a mad man._

"Nonsense. Like I said, all my past, mind you, highly qualified assistants couldn't handle the job. I'm sure a hard working soldier like you could handle a little paperwork."

He had a cocky smirk on his face as he waited for her response. She really couldn't believe this man. He was seriously considering her. She scrunched her face up deep in thought. _I really need a job. But do I really want to be his little lackey? Probably grabbing him coffee every morning and picking up his dry cleaning like a good little secretary. Tch...silly Director. You have no idea who you're talking to._

"I'm sorry Director Esth.."

"Hope" _There's that cocky grin again._

"Director Estheim. I have to decline. There's no way I'll accept this job. I'm not someone's coffee slave." She stood up abruptly frowning at him. "Sorry for wasting your time. Good luck on looking for your, assistant...secretary...whatever position." She turned around and started walking towards the door.

When she reached for the handle and began opening it, a hand slammed it shut. She glanced upwards and saw that it was Hope's hand.

Hope lowered his brow and closed his eyes, not believeing nor remembering getting up and slamming the door.

She turned around and faced him with a cold, deadly stare. "Please, _Director..._ " She emphasized his title with something acute to malice. "remove your hand from the door, or I will remove it for you."

He smirked. He opened his eyes and looked down at her. _A fine experiment indeed._ Hope leaned forward a bit, looking straight into her eyes, ignoring her piercing death glare.

"I'll see you tomorrow at 8:00 am sharp. Don't be late." And with that he walked away like nothing happened.

Lightning stared at his retreating back. She watched him return to his desk, picking up the phone and resume whatever work he was doing previously.

With an not so subtle "Humph", she opened his door and slammed it shut.

Hope just smiled at the door after it closed.

 _A fine experiment indeed._

* * *

 **Well, what'd you think? I know it's one long chapter but I just couldnt stop writing! I know that Hope may be a bit OOC. At the same time, I see him being more confident and cocky when he's older. But ever so polite. Lol.**

 **Please review and let me know what you think!**


	2. Chapter 2

**So Chapter 2 is now up!**

 **I have to say thank you to all the reviews I've gotten! You all have given me ideas, good criticism, comments, and above all, more inspiration and motivation to continue writing! I really enjoyed writing the first chapter, and even more so writing this one.**

 **I can't thank you guys enough for liking my story! And please, keep with the reviews!**

 **Disclaimer** **: I do not own Final Fantasy or its characters.**

* * *

It was a beautiful day. The sun was just beginning to set and the sky was a bright, reddish-pink color on the horizon. The few clouds that hung in the sky, allowed the last remaining sunlight to shine through. It was stunning.

The blonde-haired, blue-eyed man held a hand up, shielding his eyes from the sunlight while getting out of his car. _What a wonderful sight to come home to._ He thought.

The 6 foot 7 inch man, closed his car door and walked towards his front door. Inserting a key and turning the lock, "Honey! I'm home!" the man bellowed with a goofy grin on his face.

A petite, pink-haired woman ran up to the man and embraced him warmly. "Welcome home, Snow! How was your day?" She backed up smiling up at him, holding a wooden spoon in her right hand.

"It was great, babe. No stress, no nothing. And have you seen the sunset? It's gorgeous, like you, Serah!" He picked up the small woman and began twirling her around. Snow placed her on the ground gently while placing a kiss on her forehead. "Dinner smells great, babe. Let me change and I'll help you out in the kitchen."

Serah nodded, and skipped off towards the kitchen, blue eyes trailing her retreating figure. _I'm the luckiest man alive!_ Snow thought as he slumped himself into a nearby chair and began taking off his boots. As he was taking off his trench coat, a loud knock came from the front door.

"I got it, babe!" He reached for the doorknob and twisted it open. "Oh! Hey Ligh..." A fist met his face before he could even get the greeting out. Hunched over with a hand on his cheek, the dazed man watched a whirl of pink hair zooming off on a velocycle before he even realized what happened.

"Snow? Who was it?" As the petite woman walked towards the front door, she gasped and ran up to the man on the floor. "Oh my God, Snow! What happened? Are you okay?!" She brushed his hand from his cheek to assess the damage. It was a bright red shade, and the woman would bet that it would bruise before the end of the night.

Snow rubbed the side of his face where he was hit with a dumbfounded look. "Babe, I think I was struck by lightning."

* * *

BAM!

"WHAT THE..." A silver haired man jerked his head from his desk and had to grab the wooden paneling to keep himself from tipping over in his desk chair. The man stood up while brushing his fingers through his silver locks in order to fix his hair and rubbed his eyes.

"What the hell, Noel! What was that for?" Hope looked forward to view a brown haired Noel leaning on his desk with his hands. He had the biggest grin on his face. "What have I told you about scaring me like that? You're going to give me a heart attack." Hope looked down and brushed out the wrinkles in his uniform before looking back up at the man in front of his desk.

"Relax, Hope. You're not that old yet. Besides, if I didn't wake you, you would have ruined all your paperwork with your drool." Noel snickered as he pointed towards the desk. There was a small wet spot on the corner of one of the many papers scattered around. "So, what are you still doing here?"

Noel Kreiss had been Hope's friend since he could remember. They grew up together and attended the same schools. Albeit, Hope didn't stay in the same school for long, the little genius skipped grades quickly and had a full scholarship to the Academy by the time he was 16. This never tore the two friends apart. Noel was outspoken and confident in himself. He was a bit of a ladies man and loved going out to parties and clubs. He could charm a whole room into thinking they had known him their whole life. He was easy going and laid back. Hope was the opposite. He was awkward around people and always felt uncomfortable with his himself, let alone his title of being the Director of the biggest company on both Cocoon and Pulse. He was humble and modest and ever so polite. The only time he showed another face was when he forced to give speeches and conduct business. But Hope could fool a room with how stoic and poised he can be while speaking. He may be shy, but he could command a room when he needed to. You wouldn't be able to tell this by looking at the poor silver-haired man fixing his bed hair at the moment.

After wiping off the offending drool spot, Hope looked towards the clock on his computer. 8:27 pm. He had done it again.

Hope was a workaholic. He would work for days at a time, never going home. He was either in his office worrying over paperwork, playing in the laboratory, or down in the tech department, fiddling with different screws and bolts and anything else he could get his hands on. More often than not, he was awake for days on end, refusing to stop whatever he was currently working on, to go home and rest. The only times he did return home, was to take a shower, and feed the poor beta fish he got as a gift last year. Today was no different except for one tiny bit.

That interview. _What the hell was I thinking? Practically forcing a person to work for me...maybe I do need a vacation._ After the incident earlier with Lightning, after thinking about using her as an experiment, he mentally puked. _I really am exhausted._ He couldn't even remember the reason he had lost all control during the interview. It was so unlike him.

Hope ran his hands through his hair again. "Looks like I fell asleep working on reports again. Apparently they were successful in finding that old ruin in Yaschas Massif. The researchers found a fascina.."

"Blah blah...science, nerdy stuff. Enough of work. Why don't we go do something? You need to get out of this office. Hope, you need a life, outside of work. Everyone else has gone home. It's time you start going home like a normal person. You gotta live, man." Noel turned around and started walking towards Hope's couch.

Thinking about what Noel said, the silverette decided that maybe getting out and relaxing may do him some good. _I could definitely use a drink after today's fiasco_. Hope sighed. He gazed at the mess at his desk. He saw the corner of the resume of a one Claire Farron. _Lightning Farron...A curious nickname..._ His hand rubbed his face in contemplation. That was one blunder he'd like to forget.

"You okay, Hope? Did someone steal your beaker?" Noel half smirked but was genuinely concerned.

Hope looked up at the man. Noel had thrown himself on his couch with his hands behind his head and his legs crossed with one leg resting over his other knee. Hope sighed again. "I..uh...may have messed up something."

"What? The great Director Estheim made a mistake? This I have to hear." Noel sat up and motioned to the chair across from him.

The silverette sat down and put his head in his hands. "I was so stupid, Noel. I don't know what I was thinking. Remember that interview I had scheduled for today?" Hope explained what had happened earlier with Lightning while Noel just sat and listened.

"And that's the reason I'm beating myself up right now. I keep rethinking it over and over and wondering why I was such a...a...well, asshole. This is so unlike me." The poor director just hung his head down and leaned back in the chair. His hand came to rest on his face.

"Was she hot?"

"Wha..what?" Blue-green eyes snapped open and just stared incredulously at the brunette in front of him.

"Was. She. Hot?" Noel reiterated with a half smirk.

"I don't see how her physical looks are relevant, Noel."

Noel chuckled a bit and shook his head. "Hope, no pun intended, but you're hopeless. I'm going to take a chance and guess that this Lightning person wasn't on the homely side and your _little_ Hope took over your brain, as big as it is. Your brain, mind you not your, whatever, the point is you most likely weren't thinking right because of it." Noel then sat up straighter and his face lit up like a lightbulb went off in his head. He slapped his knees and stood up.

"That settles it. Hope, you and I are going out. There's this new club that opened up downtown. I think it's 'bout time you let loose and got laid." He winked down at the now stunned director.

"Noel, I have so much work to do still and I'd like to...waa..wait...what...what are you doing?" Noel was pulling his arm up and dragging him to the door. "Let me at least organize and file my paperwork first."

"No can do Hope. You're gonna be my wing man tonight. And besides, you need to let loose. Now, lets get you home and out of that uniform and into something that doesn't scream 'I have a protractor in my back pocket'."

Much to his chagrin, Hope shrugged his shoulders in defeat following Noel. "I guess a drink couldn't hurt."

"Exactly! Now that's more like it!" Noel wrapped his arm around Hope's shoulder and rubbed his knuckles on his head. And the two walked out together ready to take on the night.

* * *

"BWAHAHAHAHA!"

Lightning slammed her shot glass down on the bar where she sat. She glared daggers at the woman sitting next to her.

"So, wait let me get this straight. This, director Hope guy, _commanded_ you to be his secretary? I wish I could've been there to see your face!" The woman continued to laugh while Lightning ordered another shot from the bartender.

"Fang, can we just drop it? Besides, you and I both know I'm never going back there." She threw a shot back and continued to stare at the bar like she was willing it to burst into flames.

Fang Yun Oerba was Lightning's old comrade from when she was in the Guardian Corps. A few years her senior the woman took a liking to Lightning from the start. Fang moved to Academia and left the Guardian Corps a year before Lightning did when her partner, Vanille, had graduated from college. She was now working as a cop for the local police department, where Lightning had interviewed for a job, but ended up blowing it by calling the Captain incompetent.

She loved trying to break that ever famous stoic facade that Lightning fronted. The woman had dark hair and bronzed skin with green eyes. She was taller than Lightning and has a tattoo on her left arm. She was a wild, fearless spirit. And at this particular moment, that spirit was not amusing Lightning tonight.

"Aw, relax, sunshine. You know I'm only having fun." Fang smirked and took a sip from her own drink. "So, what are you going to do?"

Lightning sighed. After the interview, she was pissed beyond pissed. Even after her little pit stop at a certain overgrown oaf's place, she still was seething with rage. _Who the hell does he think he is? Telling me to be his coffee lackey. Snow is lucky I didn't kill him._

She looked over at the Pulsian beauty next to her. "Nothing. I'm doing nothing. I'll keep looking for work elsewhere. Tch, I knew I shouldn't have listened to Snow." She ordered another drink and when she tossed the drink back, she could feel the warm liquid calming her as it began to work its magic on her body. "Besides, you dragged me here to get my mind off things, so lets drop it."

"Alright, alright." Fang then turned towards the pinkette and smiled, wickedly. "So...was he hot?" She watched as the woman next to her become even more rigid than she was before. Lightning glared at her.

"What the hell, Fang. Are you trying to get killed tonight?"

"Don't avoid the question."

"Hmm..."

"Ah, so he was hot." The brunette wiggled her eyebrows.

"Fang..." Lightning's brow was now twitching. It took all her strength to keep control over the urge to slap the woman next to her.

"You should totally take the job and then bang him on his desk...or even..."

"SHUT UP!" Shards of glass flew out of Lightning's hand as she squeezed her shot glass hard, one piece cutting her. "Damn it, Fang. Can't you just drop it?" She reached for a napkin to wipe up the liquid and dabbed her now bleeding hand.

"C'mon, sunshine, when's the last time you got off? If I weren't with Vanille, I'd eat you right up." She smiled and pat Lightning's back. "Look, let's just have a good time, alright? Isn't this your favorite song?"

The club the two women were in was packed with lots of people. It happened to be the grand opening of the new club, _NORA_ , and from the looks of it, was having a very successful night. The dj was currently playing Lightning's favorite song and she couldn't help but tap her foot to the beat. "Lightning, let's dance!"

Right as Lightning stood up from her bar stool, she turned around and smacked into someone. Their drink spilling down her pink tank top.

"Oh shit! I'm so sorry." The man looked down at her and hastily asked the bartender for a napkin and handed it to Lightning.

"It's fine, just watch where you're going next time." She responded flatly, not looking at the man but focusing on drying her shirt off.

When her shirt was as dry as it was going to get, she began to walk away towards the dance floor where Fang was already waiting. Someone grabbed her hand and pulled her back. Her hand instinctively flying up to hit whoever touched her.

"Hey. Easy there. I'm sorry again for your shirt. I was wondering if I could buy you a drink to make up for it. It's the least I could do." She wiggled out of the man's grasp and looked up at him. He had brown hair and blue eyes and was smiling at her. She looked back towards the dance floor and couldn't see Fang anywhere. _I wonder where she went?_ Looking back at the man waiting for her response, she decided that another drink wouldn't hurt. She didn't like dancing anyways.

"Sure, why not." If it were possible, the man's smile grew even bigger. He turned towards the bartender to order her another of whatever she had before. She hopped back up on her bar stool and waited.

"So, you here alone?" The man now sitting next to her asked.

She looked at him flatly. _Ugh, I should have said no. The last thing I need is to be hit on_. "No, I'm with my friend."

He leaned closer to her and gleamed. "Well then, care to dance with me?"

Lightning leaned farther away from him not giving him the time of day. She tossed the new drink back and calmly said, "No thanks. But appreciate the drink." She got up to go hunt Fang down. The annoying man blocked her path. She glared at him and crossed her arms.

"Aw, c'mon. Just one dance. You did spill my drink after all..." _Did he really just blame her for spilling his drink when earlier he blamed himself?_ She could feel her eyebrow twitching in annoyance again. _This guy isn't going to leave me alone, is he?_

"Tch, fine...only one dance." She reluctantly replied.

"Awesome! The name's Noel, by the way. What's yours?" He asked.

"Hm..."

"I told you mine, you gotta at least tell me yours!" This guys face must be stuck with that smile.

She sighed, uncrossing her arms. "Lightning."

"Wha...what? Wait a minute. Did you say Lightning?" He looked surprised.

"Yea, what of it?" She crossed her arms again and contemplated just walking away.

"Oh this is too good." He mumbled to himself. " Wait here, I have someone I'd like to introduce to you too." He smirked evilly. The man turned around and took a couple steps to grab another man towards them.

Lightning glanced at the floor and shook her head in annoyance. "Hey Lightning, this is the guy I want you to meet!" She huffed then raised her head. She looked at the newcomer and felt the world freeze.

The man standing before her mirrored her shock of disbelief, his eyes bulging and his jaw gaped open.

Noel just beamed even brighter.

"Lightning! Meet Hope!"

* * *

 **And there you have it! I know, cliffhanger! Hope you enjoyed my second chapter!**

 **Please review and keep letting me know what you think!**

 **I love you all!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Thank you all for the wonderful reviews! It means so much to me! And I'm super glad that people are enjoying this story. ^.^**

 **I know it took a bit more time than I wanted to bust this bad boy out, but I hope you enjoy it! Starting to get more into the story now.**

 **So without further adieu, here's chapter 3!**

 **Disclaimer : I do not own any of these characters. They belong to the SquareEnix**

* * *

Sashaying her hips to the music, arms in the air, Fang just lost herself to the music. She loved to dance, and tonight was no different. She just wished that Vanille could come with her and Lightning.

Wait, where was Lightning? The green eyed amazon stopped dancing and scanned through the crowd. She finally spotted her pink haired friend by the bar speaking to a brown haired man. "Looks like someone's getting some action today." She murmured to herself. " Atta girl, Light."

And Fang once again got swallowed up in the sea of the dance floor, letting the rhythm of the music take control.

* * *

It was as if time stopped, and it was only them in the club. _Why was he here? What was he doing here?_ Lightning just stared at the silver haired man. She never thought she'd ever have to see this man again.

Finally getting a grip on herself, she shook her head and narrowed her eyes at him. Turning her attention to Noel, who was trying to hide his laughter, she gave him the same look, but much worse. "I already met him and that's enough for me." Turning on her heel she began stomping away, intent on finding Fang and leaving. _So much for a nice evening out._

As she surveyed the dance floor as she stormed off, she felt a hand grip her shoulder. Turning around quickly and snatching the offending appendage, she glared at the intruder.

"Ms...Ms. Farron!" The man seemed like he was out of breath.

Lightning released his hand, and watched him shake it. She had squeezed it tightly. Crossing her arms, she tapped her foot, and waited for him to speak.

"I-I...I..." The noise of the music was loud and she could barely hear the man, let alone his stammering.

She clicked her tongue in annoyance and looked away, still hoping to catch Fang in the crowd.

The man leaned in a bit closer, and she took a step back, surprised at his proximity again.

"Can we go somewhere more quiet?" He yelled.

Lightning backed a way again, and shot a glare at him. His eyes seemed to be pleading with her, like he was feeling guilty. _He should be. He's lucky I don't punch him right here and now._ Feeling a bit of pity for the Director, she nodded her head in agreement, and followed him through the crowd.

* * *

Hope led the pink haired woman outside the club and immediately took a deep breath. He felt stuffy and hot inside. And the crisp night air helped settle his nerves. He turned a corner and led them into the alley just next to the club. Facing the pinkette, he almost winced at her gaze. That woman could practically kill someone with that look.  
She just glared at him, with her arms crossed and a very annoyed look on her face. Hope decided its now or never.

"I-I..." He sighed. "I wanted to apologize for this afternoon. I don't know what came over me. That wasn't me, at all even. The work week has been so stressful, and I haven't had enough sleep. Plus with news of the rui-"

"Hope." He blinked at her voice, cutting him off. Realizing he had just been rambling, he held his hands up, palms out as if he was surrendering.

"Look, Ms. Farron." He sighed. "I just want to say sorry."

She was still giving him the same look, his eyes pleading at her. He caught her eye twitch, and thought she must be pondering his apology. Shifting his weight, he waited in silence.

The woman sighed and nodded her head. "Alright, I'll shrug it off as an accident."

He exhaled, not even realizing he was holding his breath. He smiled at her, thankful she had forgiven him.

"But I'm not accepting the job." She fired back at him.

He had to quietly chuckle at that. "I don't blame you, Ms. Farron."

"Lightning."

He quirked an eyebrow at her. "What was that?" He noticed her lip twitch to his question, visibly annoyed.

"You can call me Lightning."

"Well, Lightning, care to start over?" He grinned and held out his hand. Watching her, she hesitated before she clapped her hand in his, firmly shaking it. He saw the corner of her mouth curl up in a slight smile. A _very_ slight smile. His eyes roamed up to her eyes, and he couldn't help but admire the crystal clear blue. _I guess Noel was right. She is hot._

"Oi! Look what we have here."

They both snapped their attention to the source of the voice. Hope saw four men heading towards them. And they did not look friendly. Instinctively, he threw his arm out in front of Lightning, pushing her out of harms way. He ignored the huff she gave him.

"Well, if it ain't the Director of the Academy. Mr. Hope Estheim. Just the man we were looking for." The taller of the four grinned wickedly at him. "An' he's got a pretty little girl with him." _Shit, more anti-Academy thugs._

Hope's eyes scanned the men, noticing each held a weapon. One a knife, a crowbar, another with a knife, and the man who seemed to be their leader, carried a gun.  
He clenched his teeth, body moving into a fighting stance. "Whatever this is about, leave her out of this. If you're looking for me, I'm right here." He stared them down, silently wishing that he told Noel where he was going.

The leader just laughed at his response. "Oi! But that'd leave a witness, and we can't have that." And then the man made a signal and Hope just stood his ground as they charged at him, preparing for a fight.

He didn't get a chance to though. He blinked as the woman behind him shoved him to the ground and watched her charge into them. She avoided the first man's attempt to slash at her, and immediately countered with a kick to his hand, knocking the blade down. Pivoting on her heel, she grabbed another thug's arm and flipped him over her back, forcing him to land hard on the cement with a grunt.

Hope was captivated by her movements, still sitting on the ground where she pushed him. It was like watching her dance. The way she dodged, ducked, kicked, punched-it was mesmerizing.

Hearing a loud cry, he snapped out of his reverie and saw one of the four men holding a knife, coming right at him. Hope rolled away, narrowly dodging the knife. Jumping up to his feet, he caught the man unaware and elbowed the thug in back. The man staggered forward and Hope swung his leg and kicked the man to the ground. He finished him off with a blow to the head, knocking him out. Then he heard a click behind him.

He turned around slowly and his eyes widened at the sight. Two of the four men were unconscious on the ground and Lightning was pointing the leader's gun right at him. The leader was visible shaking, holding his hands up in the air in surrender.

"Who sent you?" Lightning growled.

"I-I don't know!" The man whimpered back in response.

"Tell me who sent you. Why are they after the Director?" She emphasized her question by cocking the gun.

"Miss I told you! I don't know! We's just get orders and we do them for the money. We don't asks questions. Please miss! Don't kill me!"

Hope shook his head. The man was pathetic. One minute he's cocky and sure, the next he was crying like a child. "Lightning, I think he's telling the truth." He called out to her.

"Tch." Was her only response. She walked up to the man, still pointing the gun at him, and knocked him out with the butt of it.

Hope could only stand in awe. This woman just took down three armed men like it was nothing. Watching her turn towards him, she put the safety on and unclipped the magazine before throwing it to the ground.

"You should call the police. I'll go look for my friend inside. She's a cop." He watched her turn to leave like nothing even happened. She was calm and collected, not even panting or showing any strain from the fight.

"Lightning! Wait!"

She stopped in her tracks and looked at him. "Hm?" She hummed.

"I think a position just opened up in security."

* * *

 **And there's chapter 3!**

 **Hope you liked it. This was my first time ever writing a fight scene, so reviews and comments on it would be welcomed.**

 **Anyways, hope everyone had a great Spring Break (if you have one) and I'll post the next chapter up soon!**

 **Ciao!**


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